Chair



F. L. G AILEY CHAIR Filed Nov. 30, 1934 Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 01mm Florence L. Gailey, Los dngeles, Calif. Application November 30, 193 15 Serial No. 755,406

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a chair and has for its principal object, the provision of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive chair, the main body portion of which is formed from material such as metal tubing or rods that are bent to form the chair back, legs, base and arms.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a chair having a back rest or pad that is mounted for vertical adjustment upon the upright chair back and which pad or rest functions as a cushioning support for the back of the occupant of the chair and which back rest or pad is designed to afford comfort to the occupant of the chair and to hold the back and spine in a proper restful position.

Further objects of my invention are, to provide a chair of the character referred to, having a pad mounted on the upper portion of the chair back above and to the rear of the back supporting pad for supporting the shoulders and upper portion of the body of the occupant of the chair in comfortable position and also to provide a chair having an unobstructed space to the rear of the chair seat below the back supporting pad for the cnvenient accommodation of the hips and buttocks of the person seated in the chair.

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified construction of the back rest support that may be employed in the production of my improved chair.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a second modification of the back rest support and which is especially designed for typists use.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of a third modification of the back rest support and particularly adapted for the use of train men and the drivers of streetcars, auto buses and the like.

Fig. 8 is a detail elevational view of a fourth modified construction of the back rest support.

Fig. 9 is a detail view showing a modified from of the adjustment for the back rest pad or cushion, from that of Fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a detail view partly in section showing a modified form of adjustment for the shoulder supporting pad or rest, from that of Fig. 2.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment 5 of the chair, the intermediate portion at a metal tube or rod is bent to form an inverted U-shaped member that functions as the chair back, said member comprising vertically disposed members ID and the upper cross member ll. 10

The upper portions of members I 0 are bent rearwardly and thence upwardly to form short vertically disposed portions l2 that occupy a vertical plane slightly to the rear of the vertical plane occupied by the upright side members I.

Thus the upper cross member II is positioned slightly to the rear of the upright members I0 and suitably secured to the front of upper cross member I I, is a back'and shoulders supporting pad l3. This pad may be of any suitable and conventional construction and preferably covered with leather or fabric.

From the lower ends of the vertical members Ill of the chair back, portions of the tube or rod are extended forwardly in a horizontal plane to 2 provide arm members l4 and from the forward ends of these arm members portions of the tube or rod are bent downward so as to occupy substantially vertical positions to form front leg members l5.

From the lower ends of the front leg members l5, portions of the tube or rod are bent rearwardly at right angles and thence inwardly toward each other to form'a substantially semicircular floor engaging base member Hi. The 5 ends of the section of tubing or rod that forms the members just described are permanently connected, preferably at the rear of the floor engaging member I6 by welding.

The other chair frame forming member is constructed from a metal tube or rod having its intermediate portion bent to form a substantially U"-shaped member comprising vertically disposed portions I1 and a lower horizontally disposed member l8. This U-shaped member occupies a position between the lower portions of the vertically disposed chair back members In and from the upper ends of the vertical members 11, portions of the tube or rod are bent outwardly at right angles to form short horizontally disposed members I9 and from the outer ends of these members l9, portions of the tube or rod are bent downward to form vertically disposed members 20 that are positioned directly against the lower portions of members I0.

ihe members If! and 20 may be rigidly secured to each other in any suitable manner, preferably by welding.

From the lower ends of members 20, portions of the tube or rod are bent forward at right angles to form horizontally disposed arm rest members 241 that are positioned directly against and suitably secured preferably by welding, to the arm rest members It.

From the forward ends of members 2!, the terminal portions of the rod or tube are bent downward at right angles to form vertically disposed front leg members 22 that are positioned directly against and rigidly secured to the front leg members I5.

The upper ends of vertically disposed braces 23, preferably metal tubes or rods. are permanently secured to the rear portions of the pairs of arm rest members I4 and 2! and the lower ends of these braces are integrally connected to the intermediate portions of the floor engaging member l6.

Suitably padded and upholstered arm supporting pads 24 are secured on top of the arm rest members I4 and 2| and a seat 25, either upholstered or plain has its rear corners secured to the upright braces 23 and its forward corners are suitably secured to the front leg members I5 and 22.

A horizontally disposed pad 26, either upholstered or plain, provides a comfortable support for the back and spine of the occupant of the chair and arranged on the rear side of this back rest and pad, are short vertically disposed sleeves or collars 21 that are mounted for sliding movement on the vertical members ll and to secure the pad at different points of vertical adjustment, these collars carry set screws 28, which when screwed inwardly, clamp the collars to the vertical members I! and thus firmly hold the back supporting pad in its adjusted position.

I prefer to form this back supporting pad 26 with a centrally arranged depression 29 and with higher or thicker end portions as designated by 30, for I have found that such conformation affords greater comfort for the occupant of the chair and provides ample support for the back without producing undue pressure directly against the vertical medial line of the back or that portion of the back immediately adjacent the spinal column.

In Fig. 2 I have shown dotted lines to indicate the position assumed by the back of an occupant of my improved chair and it will be noted that the upper pad l3 provides an effective support for the shoulders and upper portion of the occupants body and at the same time the pad or back rest 26 forms a convenient and comfortable support for the inwardly curved portion of the occupants back and that there is ample space between the rear portion of the seat 25 and member I8 for the buttocks and rear portions of the hips of the occupant.

In some instances, the upright members 20, the arm rest members 2| and the upright front leg forming members 22, may be dispensed with and in such event the outer ends of the short horizontally disposed members IQ of the back rest supporting frame are directly secured by welding or otherwise to the upright members I0, such modified construction being illustrated in Fig. 5.

In the form of chair illustrated in Fig. 6, which is especially designed for use by typists and the like, the chair back is constrcted so that the hori zontally disposed members I4 and 2|, which for! the arm rests in the chair heretofore describec are lowered to a horizontal plane where they provide a support for the sides of the seat 25, thus doing away with the arm rests and the lower portions of the vertically disposed members to and 20 are curved outwardly and downwardly as designated by 3 I, Fig. 6, in order to provide ample space and clearance for the buttocks and hips of the occupant of the chair.

Depending from the seat 25 is a threaded standard 25 that is screw-seated in a block 25*, the latter being mounted at the top of a supporting frame 25. thereby enabling the seat and seat back to be readily adjusted vertically to suit persons of diiferent heights,

In the modified construction of the chair illustrated in Fig. 7, and which is especially designed for the use of train men and the drivers of streetcars, motor buses and the like, an upright skeleton back frame 35 is connected at its lower end to a seat 34, said frame being preferably formed of metal tubing and the lower portions of the side members thereof are bowed or curved rearwardly as designated by 36 for the accommodation of the lower portions of the hips and buttocks of the person seated on the seat.

Depending from the seat 34 is a threaded post 34 that is screw-seated for vertical adjustment in a bearing 35 the latter being carried by the upper end of a stool 35, of the conventional type used by motormen and car drivers.

Mounted on the upper portion of frame 35, is a shoulder supporting pad 31 and a transverse back supporting pad 38 similar to the pad 26 is mounted for vertical adjustment on the intermediate portion of the upright frame 35 and retained in adjusted position by a set screw or other similar clamping means.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 8, the lower portion of the upright back frame 35 is connected to the seat 34 by a pivot 40, thus enabling the back frame to be swung downward onto the seat, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a modified arrangement for securing the back rest 'or pad 26 in differently adjusted vertical positions and the means employed includes a spring pressed plunger 4! mounted for sliding movement in the bracket 42 that is carried by the back rest and which passes around the vertical member I1 and the inner end of said plunger adapted to engage in notches or recesses 43 that are formed in said upright members II.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 10, the upper rearwardly bent portions I2 of the side frame members II], are flattened as designated by 44 and formed in the rear face of this flattened portion are notches or recesses 45.

The pad or support I3 for the shoulders and upper portion of the back carries a housing 46 that surrounds the flattened portion 44 and arranged in the rear portion of the housing is a. spring pressed plunger 41, the point of which is adapted to engage in any one of the recesses 45.

Thus the shoulder supporting pad l3 may be adjusted vertically to different positions for the accommodation of the person seated in the chair and said pad is retained in its adjusted position by the plunger 41 engaging one of the notches 45.

I prefer to locate the set screws 28 on the sides of the members 2I in order to eliminate projecting parts that might otherwise engage the clothing of persons passing to the rear of the chair and likewise the set screws or clamping means that adjustably secure the pad 38 to the upright side members of frame 35 and spring pressed bolt 4| that adjustably connect the back rest or pad to the uprights are all located on the sides of the collars or brackets that surround the upright members of the chair back.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a chair that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

I do not desire to be understood as being limited to the exact shape of construction of the various forms of my improved chair, as the same may be constructed to meet various requirements and for the different uses without change of basic principles. The latching means for securing the pads in differently adjusted positions may take various forms, for instance, ordinary latches such as are used on the windows of streetcars and buses may be employed or any other conventional and suitable form of readily operable latch.

The chairs constructed for the use of typists, motormen, car drivers and the like may be mounted for vertical adjustment on suitable bases in the conventional manner, but preferably as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

v My improved chair is especially designed to afford comfort to the occupant and particularly to the back and spine and by providing cushioned rests for the upper portion of the back and shoulders and the inwardly curved portion of the body between the shoulders and buttocks, the body of the person occupying the chair assumes a natural position without cramping the chest or crowdingv the internal organs with resultant cumulative fatigue and discomfort.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved chair may be made and substie tuted for those herein shown and described without departingfrom the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a. chair, a back frame including spaced upright members, a cross rail comiectlng the upper ends of said members, said cross rail and the upper portions of said upright members being offset rearwardly with respect to the lower portions of said upright members, a pad mounted on said cross rail, a cushioned back rest and means for adjustably connecting the end portions of said cushioned back rest to the upright members of the back frame below said offset upper portions.

2. In a chair, a back frame including spaced upright members, a cross rail connecting the upper ends of said members, a pad mounted on said cross rail, a cushioned back rest and means for adjustably connecting the end portions of said cushioned back rest to the intermediate portions of the upright members of the back frame, the upper portions of which upright members and top rail are offset rearwardly with respect to the lower portions of said upright members.

3. In a chair, a back frame including spaced upright members, a cross rail connecting the upper ends of said members, a pad mounted on said cross rail, a cushioned back rest, the central portion of which is vertically recessed with respect to its end portions and means for adjustably connecting the end portions of said cushioned back rest to the intermediate portions of the upright members of the back frame, the upper portions of which upright members and top rail are offset rearwardly with respect to the lower portions of said upright members.

4. In a chair, a back frame including spaced upright members,v a cross rail connecting the upper ends of said members, the upper portions of which upright members and cross rail are offset rearwardly with respect to the lower portions of said upright members, a pad mounted on said cross member, a U-shaped rail arranged between and secured to said upright members below the offset upper portions thereof, a cushioned back rest and means for adjustably securing the ends of said back rest to the upright members of said U-shaped rail.

5. In a chair, a back frame including spaced upright members, a cross rail connecting the upper ends of said members, the upper portions of which upright members and cross rail are offset rearwardly with respect to the lower portions of said upright members, a pad mounted on said cross member, a U-shaped frame arranged between and secured to said upright members below the offset upper portions thereof, a cushioned back rest, means for adjustably securing the ends of said back rest to the upright members of said U-shaped frame and the intermediate portion of which back rest is recessed vertically with respect to its end portions.

FLORENCE L. GAILEY. 

